Confrontation
by Kiha717
Summary: Kurama's made his decision, has left his life as Yoko behind him from the time being, and simply wants to be for a little bit. But, with Hiei having finished his own fight with Mukuro, it might not be too easy for Kurama to relish in his decision. One-Shot for the moment, could turn into series if people wanted.
1. Chapter 1

His body refused to cooperate, and the smell of the blade still lingered on his skin. The sensation of Yomi's touch still burned, emanating from his clothes and making Kurama want to throw up with every breath that he took. He felt torn and yet, there was the unmistakable sensation of relief fluttering from his chest. The understanding that not only had he won, but that he'd stood his ground and put to rest the thing eating him whole.

He was going to be Shuichi Minamino.

It felt so obvious now that he was on the path, the decision sitting on the horizon like it had been the only answer that had ever existed, Yoko Kurama being pushed back for the time being, forcibly cornered by the answer that the man had chosen.

He was going to return to the human world and live there, be there to care for his mother and explore what this other plain of existence could offer him. It felt warm, making his broken body feel a little better, which was all he needed in a moment like this. The guilt of watching Shigure fall to his own demise had been enough to make him crumble in on himself, but there wasn't time for that, no. He'd had to refocus his energy on convincing his companions he was alright enough for them to allow him to watch Hiei's fight with Mukuro, only allowing himself reprieve after confirming the imiko's safety.

Finding shelter afterwards wasn't too hard, simply finding a forgotten about crevice of the stadium, shutting the door behind himself and finally allowing the pain to bubble forward, both arms flocking to his stomach in an attempt to soothe the wound. It burned, leaving behind the shame of allowing his surrendered for to fall and the frustration of not going after him in his own exhaustion.

He wanted to scream, wanted to slam his hand into a wall and be angry at him, but now just wasn't the time for an emotion like that. No, he needed to focus on healing his wound, the red head stumbling forward and resting a shaking arm against the wall of the isolated room. Using the wall to help guide himself downward, Kurama rested his back against it, breathing out a sigh of relief as he tried to assess the damage.

Lithe fingers peeled at the cloth, separating it so he could stare at the clean slice that threatened to spill his intestines. Half an inch more and he'd have been fatally wounded, his tongue sliding against his teeth at the unpleasantness of such a thought. It'd have been a shame to come so far only to lose to such a man, the fact that Shigure had come so close not sitting well with the man at all.

Healing was his only option, and yet, Kurama almost wanted to just sit there in silence. Letting time take a futile attempt at healing it for him, allowing him to focus on the gravity of what he'd done. A heavy breath fled his lungs, knowing full well that he'd be a fool to let his human body try its hand at healing him single handedly.

Trying to hoist himself back up to remove what he was wearing proved to only further agitate the wound, the demon mumbling a few choice words under his breath before uttering a silent prayer for the clothes he was doomed to destroy. Tearing at the cloth took gentle care, trying not to destroy it to the point where he could never repair it, the sight of the wound against his toned stomach making the man grimace.

Once the damage was properly exposed, the scent of blood and the threat of decay permeated through the air, his nose all but recoiling at such a stench. A bit of frustration for Shigure boiled to the surface, but there was no point in being angry at a dead man when Kurama had been the only one to walk away from their conflict. Instead, a hand flocked to his red hair, fingers searching for a seed that could both accept what little spirit energy had to offer along with accelerating the healing rate of such a cut.

"So, this is where you ran off to."

The huff in the voice, the immediate lack of common decency, it made Kurama snap to attention, almost forgetting that he was staring down a torn open stomach. The smell of the whole ordeal must have masked the scent of sweat, burning determination and dark flame that constituted every fiber of Hiei.

Kurama was too surprised by his sudden appearance and his current predicament to speak, wide green eyes burning into the imiko, who only offered him a smile that resembled a predator looking down at his wounded prey. He always had an air about him, one of constantly permeating grandiose that was impossible not to almost taste when around him. Perhaps Hiei simply saw himself as better than everybody, or maybe he knew his place, but refused to accept it.

The redhead knew he wasn't stupid, and yet, there were times where he wondered exactly what Hiei's intentions were.

This was one of those times.

"Hiei." His voice strained, knowing full well there was no point in trying to hide how he was feeling when what had happened was on full display. "How did you find me?" Every word bringing a seething burn, the reminder of the blade striking every time his chest dared to rise for another breath.

"I was following you the whole time." He said, shrugging off the questioning look. "You weren't very subtle, Kurama. Anybody who didn't notice you limping wasn't looking."

The redhead always hated how quick Hiei's reflexes were, that his speed and stealth was almost unparalleled in relation to his peers. His brow furrowed slightly, the sight only amusing Hiei as the imiko offered him a smirk, approaching the wall opposite Kurama and plopping himself down on the ground, legs outstretched and crossing themselves at the ankle. He carried himself so casually, and yet, it was clear he was exhausted from his fight with Mukuro, the quiet thoughtfulness in his voice cluing Kurama into the fact that his companion was trying to hide the amount of pain he was in.

They'd always had a curious relationship to say the least, and the fact that they'd been separated for two years without so much as a hello made things only less defined than before. It left Kurama frustrated, so he could only imagine how much boiling Hiei's blood had been doing in their time apart.

Hiei had changed in that time, had grown wiser and more disciplined, and although Kurama loathed how he'd begun to smell like Mukuro instead of himself, he couldn't help but admire what she'd made out of him in the last two years.

"What you did for Mukuro was very nice." His voice soft, the throaty strain of it all getting Hiei to stare at him, lips curled into a frown now. "I've never seen you sacrifice something for another living creature before. I didn't think you the type."

"I didn't do anything nice." Hiei shot back, furrowing his brow, threatening to bare fangs if Kurama continued. "It was luck that it broke off, nothing more."

"Oh yes, of course." An extension to play it off and allow Hiei to pretend. It'd have tasted sweet if the imiko didn't know Kurama well enough to know that his companion wasn't being serious. His forehead would have crinkled if not for the covered Jagan, Hiei's arms folding atop his stomach, glancing away from the redhead to childishly attempt to ignore him.

He looked back at him when Kurama began to feed a plant his own energy, a soft grunt leaving his throat as he did so, staring down at the beginning to blossom goldenrod in his hand. The imiko sat there with his eyes focused solely on the working man, seeming to forget his intentions to be angry as he watched the beautiful yellow flower sprout in an expert's hand.

Not that it would remain there for long, not when the flowers were quickly removed from the stem, the demon cringing slightly at what he needed to do, the memory of the taste repulsing him nearly enough to convince Kurama to suffer through the wound and hope he'd be find on his own.

But his human body didn't heal as quickly as his demon one, and he barely had enough energy to conjure up this plant, let alone help his body along in the healing process. With another moment of reflection, the rest of the flowers were plucked from their stem and all of them were pushed into his mouth, the crushing of them against his teeth bringing out their bitter taste.

Hiei only stared, the undeniable curiosity burning in his red eyes catching Kurama's attention, almost getting him to forget the flowers that his teeth were trying to grind up. After a few moments of mingling with his saliva, they began to release what he was after, a foam beginning to fill his mouth, one he quickly spit out into his cupped and awaiting hands. He could see the imiko across the room cringe out of his peripherie, the fire demon leaning in slightly so he could see what his ally was doing with the substance he'd just spat out.

Typically, he'd have explained it to him right away, but the desire to get this over with was overwhelming, the sight of the foam and flower petals floating in his hands making his stomach turn inside out. The taste continued to burn his mouth, a bit of the saliva foam mixture dribbling down his chin.

On a silent count to three, the goldrenrod concoction was pushed into his wound, a sharp breath being the only sound he could muster as fingers began to slide against the even slices threatening to divide his stomach and intestines in half. It felt like being stabbed all over again, and yet, he forced himself to rub the mixture into the wound, his breathing accelerating as he did this, skin beginning to burn red with agitation at being disturbed.

"Just what are you doing?"

Hiei's threatening tone got Kurama to stop, his focus falling to the man sitting opposite of him for a moment before returning to his wound, glancing down at stained fingers as his nose and upper lip curled with distaste. "The goldenrod flower is known to help heal wounds and keep them from growing inflamed and irritated, or rather the foam they secrete is."

"It's a wonder you became a thief and not an apothecary." Hiei chuckled, although from the suddenly dark look in Kurama's eyes, this wasn't something that the redhead appreciated. And from the sudden shift in the imiko's stare, it became apparent that there was something negging at the both of them. "Kurama."

The way he left it open ended, the way he stared at him after refusing to complete the thought, it told the redhead everything he needed to know about where this was going. And with his wound now exposed and agitated, getting up and excusing himself wasn't going to be an option. Perhaps Hiei knew he'd be cornered and would have no choice but to talk, and if he'd managed that, Kurama was almost proud.

"Let's not start this." He grunted, meeting Hiei's eyes in an attempt to convey the fact that he wouldn't back down. Unfortunately, if he wanted Hiei to back down, he was only challenging the younger demon to a battle of wills, the imiko glaring back at him with red eyes aflame.

"You won because of your planning ahead, Kurama. You'd have been cut in half if you didn't have your previous life to fall back on." Hiei said, the immediate shift in Kurama practically freezing the entire room. He could almost taste the sudden hostility, and yet, Hiei didn't care one bit for what was running through his mind. He knew Kurama wouldn't kill him, which left him feeling far too bold and powerful for his own good. "You'd have won with ease if you'd have fought him as Yoko, but you refused. You took the coward's way out and fought him in your weak human body instead. Why would you do that? Have these humans broken you?"

His wound suddenly became the least of his priorities, his brow furrowed, eyes seeking to destroy Hiei from where the other demon sat. Hiei had seen these eyes before, but they'd never been directed at him, had never threatened to kill him from where he stood. Although he hated it, his heart began to accelerate, instincts beginning to scream for him to get out of this spot, that in their wounded states, Kurama was the one who'd rise victorious.

"How dare you." Was all he forced out, his voice a low growl that had his throat burning from the gruff striking of vocal chords.

"Yoko Kurama had power most demons could only dream of, and you tossed it aside so you could fight him in a body that you've been playing pretend in for almost two decades! Demons used to tell stories of the legendary demon fox, and I've come to find out that he's more interested in trying to be human than be proud in his demon form!" Hiei hissed, no longer sitting down but instead standing up, forcing his exhausted body to step forward so he could truly stand over Kurama, casting a shadow over him in the process.

His hands were curled into fists, jagan burning from behind his bandana, the menacing purple threatening to swallow him whole as it stared down at him. His size didn't matter in this case, not with how he stood in relation to Kurama, the older demon knowing full well that he wasn't in any condition to face Hiei with his wounds exposed as they were.

Not that he was thinking clearly, his trademark calm having been thrown out the window when his choice was called into question. When something he'd been so relieved to do was being insulted by somebody he'd considered very dear to him up until this point in time. Bright green eyes threatened to disintegrate Hiei on the spot, the sight of the imiko refusing to back down only further agitating him.

"Did you ever stop to consider that perhaps I didn't want to be Yoko Kurama anymore? That I spent two thousand years of my life as somebody that I've come to regret, and that, perhaps, I wanted to atone for some of my sins as Shuichi? That maybe, becoming a human taught me that Yoko was a deplorable man, and that if I could help it, I would rather dedicate myself to trying to be a nobler man?"

He didn't scream, but from the wild look in his eyes, even Hiei wondered if he was risking his head by continuing to stay in the room. His tone was harsh and his voice low and gruff, his usually gentle face giving way to so much rage as he stared the younger demon down. Hiei opened his mouth for his turn, but a snarl from Kurama got him to silence immediately. "I've been suffering in silence for long enough, Hiei, and I'm not going to let anybody tell me that I've made the wrong decision."

"Oh, yes, choosing to throw away an identity was very hard." His sarcastic tone threatened to cut a deeper wound into Kurama's skin than Shigure had, his wide green eyes burning into Hiei's skin, capturing the younger demon's attention as he watched so many emotions flash through him in only a few seconds.

Rage.

Betrayal.

Pain.

Touya had awoken it in him, the understanding of what Yoko had been, the desperation to be a better version of himself and somehow make up for his time as the spirit fox. He had so many regrets, so many nightmares about his past and about returning to his time as a monster, destroying his friends in the process and reclaiming a bloody throne of power.

The Idunn box had only complicated things more by allowing Yoko access to his body, allowing the former owner of their life to reach for the reins and pushing him and Shuichi's identities into constant conflict. He had to be them both, had to throw away his desires to be a better person and atone for his sins for the raw power that Yoko provided. His previous life was stronger, had the powers Shuchi could only dream of. Both of them existed, pulling Kurama in both directions as he struggled to find happiness and meaning in what felt like an eternal prison.

He had given up on there being a way out before forcing himself to admit the truth, to just wanting to find happiness for himself, regardless of what it meant in terms of raw strength and notariety.

"I've been trapped, Hiei." This was all he could muster, continuing to clutch at his burning wound, trying to feed the crushed goldenrod bits of energy to try and heal himself all the further.

"Trapped? You make it sound like Yoko was holding you hostage."

Green eyes bore into him, Hiei's once mocking smirk beginning to fade into a look of confusion, the realization that his attempt at demeaning Kurama had actually struck some form of nerve getting him to frown. Teeth were bared, the imiko taking a step forward only to find being closer to his companion only further agitated him. "He couldn't hold you hostage, Kurama. Every time he took control, you let him! You weren't being forced into giving up your body, you just didn't want to share. You're going to go off now and play human with the rest of the Spirit World siders, aren't you?"

So this is why he was angry. Kurama's look suddenly softened at the realization, watching Hiei take a step closer, his legs parted so he wasn't standing on top of the older demon's feet. His arms were folded over his chest, red eyes screaming for answers, although they begged to know something that he wasn't blatantly asking. The redhead couldn't help but chuckle weakly at the realization of what Hiei was digging at, the knowledge that he was hurt and unable to express it properly almost warming him up. "You don't want me to leave, is that it?"

"What?" Hiei's voice gave way to a shocked growl. "Why would you ever think something like that? I'm mad that you're throwing away your power and potential, Kurama, not that you're going back to the human world!"

The imiko's growling only further convinced Kurama that he was right, the older demon chuckling slightly at how angry his companion was getting. "Hiei." He forced out his voice, watching as the shorter of the two immediately ceased threatening to throw a fit when spoken to, lips parting slightly with unspoken words. "I don't leave anything behind. I don't like closing doors, even when I'm the one closing them."

The younger demon stared at him for a silent minute, side stepping over Kurama's legs and slowly approaching the side of the wall he was leaning against. Hiei slumped against it for a moment, surveying the exhausted redhead with caution before deeming it acceptable to allow gravity to push himself downwards, sitting himself closer to Kurama, only a foot between the two of them.

"You don't close doors?" He repeated, looking more like a child desperate for guidance than he did another demon ready for a fight. He wasn't the type to directly say what he was thinking, and yet, in that moment Kurama was left utterly floored. He could practically smell the concern wafting from every pore in Hiei's body, his time in the human world making him want to pull the shorter man close to try and comfort him.

But he didn't want to risk being bitten, not when he already had a wound desperate for his attention.

"I do not." He confirmed, watching Hiei look away in a moment of what Kurama could only assume to be intense thought. "I leave nothing behind, Hiei."

The imiko wasn't known for his wit, and yet, he wasn't exactly known for being stupid either, the man taking note of Kurama's gentler tone and growling, baring white canines in the hopes of getting him to back off. "I don't need your reassurance, Kurama, what you do in your future is none of my concern. Just know I'm not going to be there to take care of you if you choose to stay in that human body forever."

"Wouldn't think of it." Kurama confirmed, watching Hiei's stare settle into one of wordless satisfaction at supposedly getting his way. The elder demon tried to hide his smile at such a thing, but it was hard to keep to himself, heart beginning to flutter slightly at the realization that Hiei was trying to combat the possible abandonment issues that came with Kurama choosing his human life over his demon life.

The younger demon hadn't been loved before, so it was only natural that he'd struggle to understand what the sinking feeling of betrayal that came with a loved one making a drastic decision would be. Explaining it to him would do neither of them any good, however, Kurama instead only observing as his companion began to slump forward a little bit. "Hiei?"

"Fighting Mukuro took a lot of energy." He muttered, glancing upwards at the elder demon, eyes heavily lidded at he did so. His attention fell onto the wound that Kurama was still nursing. "You're staying here, right?"

"For the time being."

Kurama's soft confirmation was all that Hiei needed, the man taking only a moment longer to decide that he didn't need to stay awake any longer. Resting his back against the wall, he was out before the older demon could even glance back at him to see if he truly was trying to get a bit of sleep. Honestly, it was a true talent, the fact that Hiei could fall asleep as quickly at he could.

He was practically a housecat, quick to sleep, and only affectionate in the most subtle and hard to understand sorts of ways.

Letting go of a surprisingly heavy breath, Kurama glanced back to the wound that Shigure had cursed him with, the foam having long since vanished, leaving only the crushed up pieces of petals resting against the burning and exposed flesh. Grimacing slightly, the elder demon tried to feed his body more of the energy it was starved for, wishing he could simply make the wound vanish so he could stand up and feel a little more complete and confident in the body he'd chosen for himself.

Warmth.

Kurama tensed up when he felt a weight on his shoulder, the animal instincts buried within threatening to come out and snap at whatever dared to touch him, only for wide green eyes to meet the calm and sleeping face of Hiei, his cheek comfortably resting against the elder demon's beginning to relax shoulder.

He'd never exactly had Hiei do such a thing before, the redhead's heart beginning to pound at the sight and sensation, every breath he took being swaddled in Hiei's comforting scent. For a moment, the man could only bring himself to admire the sight, a smile beginning to sew itself onto his lips.

Perhaps, if only subconsciously, Hiei knew what was troubling him.

If closing every door meant losing Hiei, Kurama wouldn't dare to imagine such a thing. The naturally warm skin of the imiko left the elder demon feeling soothed, drinking in his scent as he tilted his own head, his cheek resting against the fluffy mop of black that was Hiei's hair. He could almost forget his wound, forget failing to save Shigure.

There was only Hiei, and his desperate attempt to convey to Kurama his fear of being abandoned and his longing for the elder demon to stay with him.

"I wouldn't leave you." Kurama muttered, finding the scent of his companion to be far too calming, green eyes growing heavy with sleep, arms still protectively attempting to guard his wound. "Nothing would be worth losing you."


	2. Chapter 2

_I wasn't going to work on this more, but honestly a review by Shizzy92 just warmed me to the core and I couldn't stop smiling. So thank you for that, I really appreciate it. This should now be the second of four parts :) Hopefully the other three pieces turn out good and you guys all like it 3 Sorry it's mostly conversations, unfortunately, I can't imagine Kurahi being cuddly and fluffy... so we just kinda get this instead._

 _Thank you again!_

* * *

By the time green eyes fluttered open, his breathing caught the cold spot in his throat, sharply inhaling as the continuing to heal wound burned for both attention and as a swift reminder of everything that had happened that morning. Holding a breath in place, flashes of Shigure pulled at his mind again, the redhead only stopping when the scents lingering in the room caught up with the pace of his thoughts.

He could smell Yomi lingering in his clothing, his touch having helped the man return to the awaiting arms of welcomed friends, something Kurama was only momentarially grateful for. He put distance between them immediately, only taking solace in the fact that they'd never have to face each other, or even interact if he so wished it.

But the smell that fascinated him was the burning scent of Hiei permeating through the room, sleepy green eyes fluttering open as the memories of their conversation stabbed into his side like a cattle being branded. His throat caught his words, the demon turned human looking around with desperation only to find he was completely alone in the room.

The fact that Hiei had somehow managed to leave completely undetected left Kurama stunned, silently reminding himself never to cross somebody close to Mukuro. With one hand resting against his wound, the man took solace in knowing that at least he had recovered enough energy to properly patch this up, understanding that he wouldn't need to spend another moment looking like a deer awaiting capture by a stalking mountain lion.

Fingers delicately ran against the canyons of skin Shigure's blade had created, sharply inhaling a breath in an attempt to calm himself down before concentrating all of his energy towards that spot. The other hand flocked to his hair, reaching for a plant he was certain would help him speed up this already tedious and troublesome process.

By the time he felt settled enough to leave, the wound had been mostly sealed up and his clothes given a quick and somewhat sloppy sew to keep them from exposing his lithe abdomen to the world. Immediately, sensitive ears began to pick up on the congregation of people in the sitting room, the different scents all containing two notable things; sweat and adrenaline. These were the fighters, and if he was lucky, his companions in arms, the redhead resigning himself to joining them as he began to follow the sounds of their shouts.

Upon reaching the sitting room, however, eyes scanned through the crowd and lingered on one singular soul, somebody who straightened himself almost instantaneously upon realizing he was being watched. Hiei didn't dare turn to look Kurama in the face, not when he was supposed to be dutifully watching Mukuro's fight with Natsuki, but the demon turned human was positive that the Jagan was peeking open to study him.

Perhaps Hiei was concerned with his physical state?

Feeling his heart quicken at the thought, eyes crossed over the men he'd trained for Yomi's army, seeing the bright smiles that framed Chuu and Jin's faces further brighten at the realization that their effective leader had managed to heal himself. Kurama could almost taste their relief, but upon offering them a polite nod, made it clear he wasn't going to be joining their little watch party.

While the original two who'd caught his attention seemed a little confused by this motion, Touya's knowing eyes drifted to Hiei, looking back to Kurama with the slightest of smirks resting against thin lips. The sight made the redhead's stomach acid boil, forcing himself to look away, lest he forget the calm he prided himself in always having.

Ignoring how Touya made him feel a little less confident in approaching his friend, Kurama strode towards him, keeping his posture straight and shoulders squared so he could continue to give off an air of confidence. The sight of Hiei growing all the stiffer in how he held himself only made the demon turned human smirk to himself, knowing full well the imiko had more than a few things racing through his mind.

His instinct to look to the screen to check on their friend was beaten out by the desire to look to Hiei, green eyes almost burning the fire demon's skin as he finally tore his ruby eyes from the screen long enough to acknowledge Kurama being at his side. He only offered him a slight grunt, flashing a glimpse of sharp white teeth to inform his companion that he didn't exactly feel like playing games right then.

"Is he holding his own against Yomi?"

While Kurama looked to Hiei, the question gave the shorter man an out, allowing him to look to the screens instead of at the person focused solely on him. His posture relaxed a little upon no longer feeling obligated to look upwards at the redhead. His eyes scanned the images for a moment, darting from Mukuro to Yusuke, since he had a stake in both and intended to keep a close eye on the both of them. "For fighting a demon king, he's doing well." Hiei said, not once looking back to Kurama in this time span. His admission was all the redhead needed as he nodded slowly, turning to look for himself.

In fairness, this was one of the highest compliments that Hiei could give, being that he'd never outright say that Yusuke was doing great or that the imiko was consistently impressed with how far this once ordinary human could go. The sight of the fight only further married Kurama to the fact that their once leader was doing more than well against a demon that had attempted to hold him captive for far too long.

He didn't like looking to Yomi, not when it made his heart race and pushed him right back to his time as Yoko. He could feel his stomach attempt to drop, the demon turned human swallowing back any of the obvious signs that looking upon the man he'd been forced to swear himself to still made him beyond uncomfortable.

A hand slipped protectively to his stomach wound, eyes forcing themselves to look over to Mukuro's fight in the hopes of pointlessly distracting himself from what he simply didn't want to see. However, with green eyes flitting back to Yusuke every few moments to reassure himself that his friend was alright, it was nigh impossible to simply ignore the blind demon that'd threatened to shatter him.

"And Mukuro?" He brought himself to ask, trying to force lips to remain stable instead of trembling slightly from anticipation sickness.

"She's fine." Hiei growled, but while in the process of shooting a glare at the redhead for asking seemingly redundant questions, he grew quiet for a moment, reading the look in his companion's face and mulling over what exactly an obviously forced still expression was supposed to mean. "But you're not."

"Hiei-"

"No." His voice was sharper than the blade of his sword, Kurama forcing himself still at the sound of the shorter demon attempting to assert his dominance over his elder. It seemed to work, the redhead quieting himself down while meeting Hiei's ruby eyes, the last thing the demon turned human wanted to do was wake the jagan and risk himself in the process. "Did you heal yourself?"

"I did." He confirmed, lifting the hand that guarded his stomach to show the for the most part neat stitch work, watching Hiei carefully inspect it from where he stood for a moment before deeming it acceptable. "As I said, nothing is wrong."

A grunt of contradiction left Hiei's throat, the imiko glaring up at Kurama once more, one hand resting upon the handle of his sword in a silent threat. "I don't like being lied to, Kurama."

They'd reached the point in their companionship where most things didn't need to be said or constantly reiterated, so the fact that Hiei was daring to use his words at all was quite out of the ordinary. The shorter demon bore into Kurama's eyes, lips pressed together firmly to further illustrate his frustration with their current situation. "It's Yomi, hm?" The almost hum like grunt at the end only further accentuating his frustration with the lack of immediate answers. He didn't have all day to play twenty questions with Kurama, but he also didn't want something left unsaid between the both of them.

He was mad enough already with this apparent abandoning of demon world and his life as Yoko Kurama, he wasn't going to let the redhead try and pull anything else over him. Lest his dragon somehow slip from himself and swallow the irritating man whole.

"I'm not going to talk about this here." Kurama didn't look at him when speaking, his attention forcibly focused on the screen displaying the battle between Mukuro and Natsuki. He could feel Hiei's burning glare, could almost taste the rage and frustration in not being told explicitly what was going on in his head, and yet, this only succeeded in making the redhead all the more agitated himself. "Hiei. I will not."

Looking to Yusuke and then to Mukuro, as much as he hated to admit it, he was sure both would pull victorious and didn't need constant surveillance. And since neither could see him, and he'd remove the tongue of anybody who dared to rat him out, it wasn't like the detective or his chosen King would ever notice that he put something ahead of watching them from afar.

Something. Was that what Kurama was to him? Just a something that he put before two of the people who had made him stronger?

Pushing that question down to the pit of his stomach, Hiei reached forward, snatching one of Kurama's wrists and locking his fingers around it tightly. His fingernails threatened to cut into the redhead's pale skin if the human turned demon tried to refuse him, and yet, judging by the wide but understanding look in his companions eyes, it was clear that he wouldn't fight him on this. No, instead he only shifted his position to make it easier to follow behind Hiei as the imiko began pushing his way through the crowd, shooting a glare at the survivors of the dark tournament that dared to look their way in a wordless command for them to keep silent. The absolute last thing he needed was Mukuro finding out about his lack of obedience in watching her entire fight, not when he had no current intentions of leaving the position he'd carved out for himself.

The sound of Kurama's delicate footsteps behind him only agitated Hiei slightly, the man holding back a huff of irritation as he lead the redhead down the winding corridors to a silent and unoccupied room. Only when the door was firmly shut behind him did he let go of Kurama, watching the redhead lift his wrist to study his skin, frowning at the small red marks left imprinted within it.

Big green eyes glanced upwards to Hiei, lips parting to speak only for the imiko to find his words before his companion. "What about Yomi is making you act like this? I don't see anybody scare you, Kurama, but when you look at him, something's different."

"Hiei-"

"No!" A growl sprang from his throat, enough to get Kurama to grow still as he watched Hiei carefully, the elder demon making sure to take a slight step forward to assert his own dominance. "I don't understand it. And you're going to make me understand."

The reluctance in Kurama's eyes shown through, but from the firm press of Hiei's lips into a straight line told him no amount of trickery would get him out of this. Glancing to the side, hesitation threatened to swallow him whole, the only cure seemed to be a few deep breaths and the refusal to look Hiei in the face. "Yomi was a dear friend of mine, or rather, a dear friend of Yoko's and they had a troubled past together. Yoko wasn't exactly a kind or merciful friend or ruler, and when somebody dared cross him, they were... expendable." His lips lingered on that word, on the memories of leaving the blinded and sobbing Yomi for dead. Refusing to help him despite the desperation in his voice, the hope at the time being that his once best friend would wither away and never cross him again. "I suppose he took note of our time at the Dark Tournament, and because of this, he and his men hunted me down. I suppose I was the fool for thinking I could return to his side unscathed."

"Did he torture you?" Hiei's eyes wide as he offered this, although slight relief seemed to wash over him when Kurama offered only a shake of the head in response.

"He could have, but Yomi and Mukuro are two different beasts, and he'd much prefer trapping his opponents and letting them run themselves raggad." He'd been nothing more than a mouse fruitlessly trying to free itself from a glue trap, hopeful for escape and determined to continue going, even though it had long since lost the ability to continue living. "I thought he knew nothing of my past, but he knew everything I held dear. He held my family hostage and if I dared to offer him anything but my obedience, he'd have killed them."

"But he would have spared you."

Hiei offered this to see what would happen, but instead of being met with a semi-morbid laugh and an agreement, he only met the somber eyes of Kurama, the redhead looking to him with his face frozen in stone but those beautiful green irises saying everything the demon turned human could never communicate.

"He would have." Kurama confirmed, his voice soft as he replied. It felt strange, admitting to these months upon months of terror, isolation and complete helplessness. For the first time he was being allowed to air out wounds that nobody had noticed, and the person looking upon them was Hiei. Was a seemingly indifferent imiko who could only take solace in the fact that Yomi wouldn't have killed him.

But instead of smirking at this reply, the shorter demon was still, cocking his head ever so slightly to the side as he studied Kurama, watching the elder demon shift so they could properly meet eyes. "You really care for those humans." He said, leaving no room for questioning in his words.

"I do," Kurama's breath hitched upon watching Hiei's teeth appear at the sound of his confirmation, "they've given me everything this world couldn't. Safety, security, time for reflection."

Reflection? What did he need that for? Hiei wanted to snap back at him, wanted to growl and get legitimately angry at him, but the somber expression sewn on his companion's face didn't allow for something like this. He couldn't yell at him, not when there was both sorrow and desperation to speak painted on Kurama's face. The desire to scream at him for abandoning his people became nothing but a light simmer on a back burner as he stared at him, leaving only confusion and desire to understand what went on in Kurama's constantly racing mind. "Which is why you're abandoning this world?"

This again? The redhead stared at the man glaring at him, shifting his position slightly in an attempt to get himself situation, attempting to still hold dominance despite Hiei's clear demand for it. "I abandon nothing." He returned, allowing a throaty growl to leave with his voice, this coupled with his age and height making it clear he wanted the power position in this potential fight.

Curling his upper lip, the imiko snarled, taking a step forward. The reiteration of things he'd said before coupled with no clear answer or apology only pushed the simmer to a boil, the shorter demon curling his hands into fists. "That isn't an answer, Kurama, and you know it isn't! You join forces with Yomi and everything is fine, you enter this tournament and everything is fine, and then suddenly you throw everything you've ever had away so you can go play pretend with the humans!

"You were supposed to be this powerful bandit King who only wanted strength and power! And who are you now, Kurama? A coward hiding in a human's body, ready to run back into the coddling arms of human world?"

His shouts dissolved into throaty insults by the end, but he didn't care at this point what he sounded like. He just wanted to be mad, just wanted to assert himself and what was going on in his head. By the end of it he was trembling, his head lowered and his hands curled into tight fists, nails threatening to slice into the fleshy insides of his palms.

The moment he considered glancing up to assess Kurama's expression, however, Hiei found himself being pushed into the door of the room. It happened too quickly for his eyes and mind to catch up, the only thing filling him was the desire to break free. Upon getting a proper look, however, he found that he was being pushed into it by one of Kurama's plants, the tendril like vines only pushing him further into the door when he tried to struggle free. A frustrated growl left his lips, the imiko daring to look up and at his companion only to see the fires burning in emerald eyes.

"Don't speak about what you don't know." Kurama growled, giving into his demon heritage and showing his teeth, his fingers sliding against the fauna that obeyed his energy as he drew close. Hiei didn't dare struggle now that he knew it'd mean being suffocated by Kurama's toy, the imiko only staring into Kurama's eyes in a futile attempt at procuring some dominance for himself. "You haven't seen through my eyes, Hiei, you wouldn't know that I've spent this human life reflecting on my past and coming to terms with the monster I was. I chose to stay human when I could have returned to my life as a demon, Hiei, and for the time being, I'm going to continue to choose to stay human." The redhead only stopping just before reaching Hiei, putting some much needed distance between the two as the imiko stared daggers into his companion.

"How could I," Hiei growled, struggling once more to get free only to find it still fruitless, "when you don't tell anybody what's going on? You hold everything in, and close everybody off. You can't expect me to know what you're thinking!"

The human turned demon froze when this accusation was fired at him, furrowing his brow and meeting Hiei's agitated eyes, watching the imiko struggle for freedom and cry out in frustration when the vines only clung to him all the more. He hated that his companion would dare to say this, but he silently hated the fact that Hiei was right even more. The fact that ruby eyes told no lies, that they accused him of being wordless when he had been.

He'd suffered entirely in silence, never reaching out for any of his companions, too terrified of the fact that he was slipping into two consciousnesses to ever ask for help or reach out to see if anybody has an answer he hadn't even considered.

The desire to strangle the life out of Hiei faded as the imiko continued to only study him, leaving the demon turned human frozen. His hesitation cut off the energy glow to his plant, leaving it frozen for a moment before beginning to slink back and leave enough room for Hiei to break free of them, severing the tips from their bases and landing on his feet. He folded his arms expectantly against his chest, studying the eyes of his friend and holding his ground, shrugging off the moisture soaking him through from the plant destruction.

"Well?" Hiei's voice an expectant grunt, glaring at the stunned Kurama and huffing slightly at the sight.

"I," his voice caught his breath, the redhead drawing in a breath, "I didn't want any of you to worry about me. I wanted to solve it on my own."

"Solve what?" Hiei repeated, glaring back at him. He was done speaking in large sentences, quietly waiting for Kurama to find his voice.

The redhead froze, seeming to consider his options as he surveyed the man. It was clear he wasn't going to escape this conversation, the demon turned human deciding to simply cut his losses as he met Hiei's eyes, allowing the imiko to take a step forward. "I didn't want any of you to know that I was losing myself. That Yoko wasn't so much becoming a piece of me as he was entering my body. That there was no longer one of me, but two of us. Yoko wasn't a body for me to use, Hiei, he was an entirely separate life and he wanted to be the only one."

What?

Hiei searched for a hint of joking in his companion's face, but he could only see the stiffness of truth, the younger demon staring at him with confusion. "There are two of you?"

"Well, yes." Kurama confirmed, taking in a heavy breath in an attempt to soothe himself. "Why do you think I needed the fruit of the previous life to bring him back? I had to regress, had to bring out the man I used to be. And the more I did it, the more Yoko in his prime returned. There were two people by the end of the dark tournament, Shuichi and Yoko."

"And when you fought Shigure?"

"I wanted to fight as Shuichi, wanted to stand up to Yomi and cement myself as who I wanted to be, and upon realizing that Shigure was far stronger than myself, I considered giving up and allowing Yoko to fight him in my place. But, upon further reflection, I realized that losing to Shigure as Shuichi would be more honorable than winning as Yoko. T-"

"But you didn't lose." Hiei growled, catching Kurama off guard, the concept of the imiko trying to defend him leaving the human turned demon confused. He furrowed his brow, studying Hiei for a moment to try and understand only to find the pure agitation pouring from every inch of the younger demon's skin.

"I didn't." He agreed, trying not to smile at the idea of Hiei trying in his own strange way to console him. "And I was able to win on my terms."

"As a human." The imiko offered, watching his companion nod to confirm that this indeed had happened. For a moment, Hiei fell silent, wanting to scold the redhead further only to take note of how suddenly, he seemed a lot calmer than he'd been before. His breathing was slower than it had been before, and it had the younger man wanting to approach and figure it out.

"As myself." Kurama corrected, Hiei scoffing slightly as he watched the long tendrils of the human turned demon's plant begin to retract. He focused solely on that for a moment, pursing his lips into a frown before looking back to his companion. The redhead seemed prepared for it, tucking his hands carefully into his pockets. "Hiei, if you were truly my friend, you'd understand why I need to do this."

The imiko froze when told this, looking up at Kurama with parted lips, but found himself surprisingly wordless. He wanted to stew over this, but with his companion taking a step forward, it looked like this was a luxury he simply wasn't going to get. However, being told he couldn't do something only displeased the younger demon, leading him to snatch one of Kurama's wrists once more.

The demon turned human didn't stop him, and he didn't pull away, only allowing Hiei to seize his skin and hold it tightly in his smaller hand. For a moment, everything was still, Hiei's breathing slowing to nearly a halt when Kurama finally turned to look him in the eye.

"Kurama," the man's name lingered on his tongue, frustration seizing him as he struggled to explain what was going on in his head. He wanted just to shout at him, wanted to make it clear he had no words to convey what was happening in his head.

Kurama only stared, reading Hiei's expression like an ancient demon text, almost understanding him better than the imiko himself. The sudden smirk sewn upon Kurama's lips had the younger demon floored, releasing his grip and pulling his hand back to his side with a guttural growl. The smile vanished as quickly as it came, and the demon turned human seemed to have the same intentions, big emerald eyes surveying him for a moment longer before pushing the door open.

The shorter demon only watched as his companion disappeared down the hallway, ruby eyes lingering on the redhead as he grew smaller and smaller, the sound of his clicking heels ringing in Hiei's surprisingly attentive ears. Folding his arms over his chest, the imiko huffed quietly to himself.

The sudden pounding of his heart and this dropping feeling in his stomach weren't welcomed, but since he didn't know how to stop it, the only thing he could think of to do was steel himself and return to watching Mukuro and the detective's fights.


End file.
